The prior art reveals a plurality of outrigger structures for stabilizing a vehicle comprising one or more pairs of retractable legs designed to engage the surrounding ground to provide a wider base of support for the vehicle. Many of these outriggers comprise hydraulically activated structures which actuate a leg for swinging engagement with the surrounding ground. However, such configurations comprise leg members which, upon engagement with the ground, result in large stress and bending moments on the leg members and which expose the hydraulic actuator to damage from the surrounding environment. Additionally, outriggers comprising oppositely positioned legs tend to work against each other during their deployment as the angles of attack of the legs upon the ground create horizontal forces. As a result, the hydraulic forces required to engage the leg with the ground is partly used to counteract these horizontal forces generated by an oppositely positioned outrigger instead of being directed for lifting and stabilizing the vehicle in a substantially vertical direction, which typically requires reinforcement of the legs.
To overcome these and other drawbacks, some outriggers use telescoping legs housing hydraulic actuators which extend and retract the leg for engagement with the ground or for storage and which also protect the hydraulics from damage. Additionally, some outriggers comprise legs which attack the ground at right angles which reduces any bending forces applied on leg members. Still, in these prior art outriggers additional structural members are required to extend the leg away from a vehicle's body to allow the leg to sufficiently engage the ground at a position to provide a wide base of support. One major drawback of such outriggers is that the additional components increase the weight and cost of the outrigger and vehicle. Moreover, outriggers which provide a simpler structure comprising a pivotable telescopic leg member still engage the ground at angles that create moments on the leg member and which do not lift the vehicle in a substantially vertical direction. Additionally, the positions of the foot within which the vehicle will remain stable is limited.